


The rise of ShrikeClan

by Dinolil1



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 22:59:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 13,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15350625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinolil1/pseuds/Dinolil1
Summary: This is very short, I know.





	1. Chapter 1

Times were hard for a group of three cats; the weather harsh, the animals cruel and the prey scarce. Batstorm was barely aware of the passage of time, scenes of blood and murder playing like a broken record; all he knew was that they had to find shelter and soon. The black tom looked around the looming trees and blinked slowly; the sky was thick and wolf-grey, rain would come soon and with it, freezing temperatures.

‘’Bat! Bat, over here!’’ came a shrill cry, from a small tom. ‘’Look at this.’’ At his paws was a yawning cave, deep and dark. ‘’Shelter.’’ Tinystep grinned, proud of himself. ‘’Told you I’d find shelter!’’ Without another word, the cocky grey tom disappeared into the shadows of the cave. ‘’Wow, it’s big!’’

A skinny molly followed, with a derisive chuckle. ‘’Wow, it’s even bigger than your ego.’’ Mallowtuft dodged Tinystep’s playful swipe, peering into the pitch-darkness of the cave. ‘’Nice one, Tiny.’’ The pale warrior grinned at him, before turning to her shadow-black friend. ‘’Batstorm? Bat?’’

The black warrior was staring past her, eyes wide and hackles raised. ‘’Mallowtuft, be quiet.’’ Batstorm hissed, prowling quietly past his friends. ‘’I can see something over there, in the darkness.’’ 

‘’I can’t see anything.’’ murmured Mallowtuft, raising a brow. ‘’What is it?’’

Tinystep grimaced nervously. ‘’You’re scaring me, Bat.’’ He shivered. ‘’Please don’t go batty.’’ The grey bengal chuckled to himself, satisfied with that pun. ‘’This is our last chance at shelter and I don’t want it to be infested with some sort of predator, like a bear!’’ 

‘’For StarClan’s sake, it’s not a bear!’’ snapped Mallowtuft, glaring at him. ‘’Stop saying stuff like that, it’s not helping anyone.’’ Even she was beginning to get nervous, shivering the further Batstorm stepped and disappeared into the darkness. ‘’Batstorm! Are you crazy?’’

As his friends fretted over an imaginary bear, Batstorm hurried after that impernitent shine. Water dripped from the ceiling, carving twinkling lines on the dark cave wall as they cast ripples along a murmuring stream. Suddenly, Batstorm tripped and tumbled into a silvery cavern; the ceiling rose away from him and yawned with monstrous stalactites and stalagmites. 

A mysterious light made them look like teeth and Batstorm was suddenly very, very afraid. ‘’StarClan?’’ The black tom whispered, knowing that it could not be any other force than his ancestors casting that brilliant light in the darkness. ‘’StarClan is that you?’’ Batstorm’s voice cracked, trembled and broke up until he was just gaping; it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and it was starting to hurt his eyes.

‘’Be still!’’ commanded a voice, as strong as a lion but as gentle as a lamb. ‘’Batstorm, we’ve been waiting for you.’’ A plump tom with stars woven into their silver pelt appeared, walking on the surface of the icy waters. ‘’I am Aspenheart and I speak on the behalf of ShrikeClan.’’ The echoes caught the name and the stones whispered it to one another.  
Batstorm blinked slowly, frozen as though ice had claimed his limbs. ‘’ShrikeClan?’’ He wasn’t an easily scared tom, but Aspenheart’s eyes were as bright as twin moons and it was difficult not to quiver; not from cold but from fear, Batstorm was well and truly petrified. ‘’I’ve never heard of them? Who were they?’’ Batstorm had a feeling he wasn’t going to enjoy hearing about them, Aspenheart didn’t strike him as the cheery sort. 

Nodding sagely, Aspenheart sat before him; frost collected at his paws, although the StarClan warrior didn’t take any notice; the frost was just as much a part of him as his eyes were. ‘’ShrikeClan was an ancient clan, masters of the forest and caverns.’’ He rumbled. ‘’But a greedy and violent leader set the seed of corruption, and before long took all of our lives with him.’’ Aspenheart frowned. ‘’All because he didn’t want to die alone, he wanted someone to hold his paw all the way to the dark-forest.’’ 

Batstorm sighed and stared at his paws; this was heavy stuff and with a heavy heart, Batstorm finally spoke up. ‘’Pardon my rudeness, but what does this have to do with me?’’ The black tom glanced over his shoulders, but saw nothing. ‘’I’m just trying to find a place to stay with my friends, and I’ve never even heard of ShrikeClan until now.’’ 

‘’You are on ShrikeClan burial grounds.’’ Aspenheart pointed out some bones laying in a corner. ‘’That’s Hornetfur over there.’’ Ignoring Batstorm’s loud cry of disgust, Aspenheart continued with a peculiar fury. ‘’And you look a lot like the first leader’s son, Batpelt.’’ Squinting, the silver tom’s eyes twinkled. ‘’Dare I say, you might even be a resurrection of him!’’ 

Swallowing heavily, Batstorm tried to get up but a fierce pain rippled through him, simultaneously burning while cold. ‘’Aspenheart!’’ He yowled, huddled on the ground before the ancient warrior. ‘’Aspenheart, everything’s hurting!’’ The silver tabby didn’t relent, touching noses to Batstorm’s forehead.

‘’I give you the life of faith, never ever ever give up on someone.’’ 

Another figure joined Aspenheart, taking the form of a golden molly. ‘’I’m Hornetfur, I’m those bones over there.’’ She smiled before nuzzling him, tail curling with happiness. ‘’I give you the life of joy, remember it’s always worth smiling, even a bit.’’

The two parted ways for a tom with ragged ears and an almost see-through pelt. ‘’I am Rookstar, first leader of ShrikeClan.’’ He had a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, constantly calculating and assessing Batstorm. ‘’I must say, you do look a lot like Batpelt.’’ Batstorm hated the way Rookstar was looking at him, sizing him up as though Batstorm was nothing more than lunch to Rookstar who was pondering whether to eat thrush or vole. ‘’I give you the life of calmness, remain as still as a mountain; do not move, no matter how much the wind howls.’’ 

Quietly shoving herself in front of Rookstar, was a thin grey-blue molly. ‘’I am Roachfang, I was the first victim.’’ Her eyes showed nothing but grief, as Roachfang seemed to see a thousand years into the future. ‘’I give you the life of foresight, know and prepare.’’   
‘’Brother? Brother!’’ cried a tortoishell molly, as she bounded up to Batstorm. ‘’It’s me! Spottedtail!’’ The warrior came to a stop in front of her older sibling, staring at him thoughtfully. ‘’You still think I was murdered, don’t you?’’ When Batstorm nodded, Spottedtail chuckled softly. ‘’I wasn’t, I swear...it was an accident’’ The rockslide that killed her didn’t look like an accident but Batstorm was quick to curb his vicious tongue. ‘’I give you the life of honesty, because I don’t think you ever told me something that wasn’t a lie.’’

‘’I told you that I loved you.’’

‘’There you go again.’’ sighed Spottedtail, shaking her head forlornly. ‘’It’s okay, Bat, I never liked myself either.’’ She admitted sheepishly. ‘’But that’s in the past now, now we only look forward; like Roachfang said!’’ 

A round, plump tom by the name of Cormorantcloud was next and although Batstorm could scarcely remember him, it appeared that Cormorantcloud was very familiar with him. ‘’I was your grandfather, but I died a moon before you were born.’’ The black and white tom sighed almost sadly. ‘’I watched over you and it’s safe to say, I am proud of you.’’ Cormortantcloud let out a loud sniffle. ‘’I give you the life of love, remember and cherish your family always.’’ 

‘’Wow, such sappiness.’’ An energetic warrior piped up, bouncing on their paws. ‘’Still, that was kinda sweet.’’ The spotted tabby turned to Batstorm, looked at him up and down before breaking into a grin. ‘’I’m Harrierwhisker, the deputy of ShrikeClan.’’ Noticing the black tom’s look of disbelief, Harrierwhisker broke out into a loud laugh. ‘’A lot of cats are like that, so I give you the life of energy!’’ Fidgeting on the spot as though imbibed with electricity, Harrierwhisker grinned. ‘’You are more than your duties, more than your rank, more than your clan.’’ 

 

When the eclectic tom finally disappeared, Batstorm was surprised to learn that all was silent. ‘’How odd?’’ murmured Aspenheart, looking around. ‘’It appears your parents aren’t coming.’’ The silver tabby sighed disapprovingly, tail twitching. ‘’What kind of parents don’t show up to their son’s ceremony?’’ Eyes flashed and Aspenheart sighed, turning to Batstorm. ‘’A-are you crying?’’

 

‘’They never did care about me or my sister.’’ Batstorm took a deep breath and faced the StarClan warrior bravely. ‘’Never even showed up for my apprentice or warrior ceremony, so why’d they show up for my leader ceremony.’’ Batstorm closed his eyes for a moment, tail twitching as his anger threatened to boil and bubble. ‘’I don’t give a foxdung about them.’’ 

Aspenheart looked confused, blinking slowly. ‘’Just like Batpelt’s parents.’’

‘’I don’t care, Aspenheart.’’ Batstorm replied, pelt bristling. ‘’I really don’t.’’

‘’You’ll have to...Batstar.’’ 

The apparition disappeared, leaving Batstar exhausted and with about as much energy as a slug. He felt as though he’d climbed the steepest mountain with a pelt of fire and no claws, he felt as though he’d been swimming across the vastest lake in the dark with zero days of sleep or reprieve. ‘’StarClan…’’ Batstar whimpered, hauling himself to his paws. ‘’T-that was horrible.’’ And on top of it all, they expected him to be leader!? 

‘’Who are you talking to?’’ Tinystep called out, looking around the cavern in mild awe. ‘’There’s nobody but stones here...massive stones here.’’ The bengal turned from the ceiling and to Batstar, blinking slowly. ‘’You look exhausted, dear StarClan.’’ Tinystep bounded up to him and nuzzled him, trying to smooth down Batstar’s ruffled pelt. ‘’What happened?’’

The black tom dragged himself to his paws, grateful for Tinystep’s assurances. ‘’I saw StarClan.’’ Batstar shivered, recalling the spectres and the words and the agony. ‘’I saw StarClan and they spoke to me, how could you not see them?’’ It had been so bright, almost blinding; it was as though the sun had stepped down in the cave. ‘’Surely, you would have heard them?’’ Their voices were like thunder, no matter how soft they had spoken.

‘’Wow.’’ Tinystep stared at Batstar with brilliant eyes. ‘’Did they give you a prophecy!?’’ Turning to Mallowtuft, Tinystep bounced excitedly on his paws. ‘’Batstorm saw StarClan!’’ The grey warrior nearly tumbled over in his excitement, kit-like at the thought of his ansectors talking to his friend. ‘’What were they like?’’

‘’What did they want?’’ Mallowtuft asked, more gravely as she quietly sat in front of her friend. ‘’Did they see any hope for us?’’ Although she wasn’t young, Mallowtuft was deeply afraid of dying, and dying alone. ‘’Did you see any of our old clan-mates?’’ Mallowtuft inquired, eyes wide and trembling. 

‘’I’m Batstar now.’’ With seven lives to give up for them. ‘’They told me a clan called ShrikeClan used to live here and they said I looked like the first leader’s son.’’ Batstar frowned, tail twitching. ‘’I guess they want me to rebuild ShrikeClan, if that’s okay with you two of course?’’ A part of him wanted them to say no, a part of him wanted Tinystep to ask to be leader instead of him, a part of him just wanted to get away from here. He didn’t want this responsibility of leading a clan, he just want to be able to live; that’s all.

Mallowtuft and Tinystep exchanged a quiet look, ponderous for a few moments. ‘’Well, nice to meet you Batstar.’’ Smiled Mallowtuft, dipping her head respectfully. ‘’Would you do me the honour of letting me join ShrikeClan?’’ The skinny warrior wriggled cheerfully, tail twitching as she watched Batstar’s horrified expression. ‘’Hey, don’t worry!’’ She smiled. ‘’We’ll help you.’’

‘’T-thanks, guys.’’


	2. The mangy rogue

Nobody spoke of the meeting with StarClan ever again, unanimously deciding that it was of no importance now that ShrikeClan’s camp had been set up and the leader elected. While Batstar was busy patching up the walls of the nursery, Mallowtuft and Tinystep decided to mark their new borders; they didn’t want any rogues or predators to infiltrate their camp and they also wanted to see what they could find among the tall trees and dark hedgerows. 

For most of the sunny morning, Tinystep had been marking the borders while Mallowtuft had been keeping an eye out for anything odd. ‘’Tiny, tiny!’’ The skinny molly mewed, suddenly frozen to the spot and staring intently at a trembling briar. ‘’Something or somebody is here.’’ Her whip-like tail thrashed angrily and her sapphire-blue eyes took on a very fierce light. ‘’Get out of that hedge and face me like a warrior!’’ exclaimed Mallowtuft, pelt bristling like a thorny bush.

With a loud crash, a ginger rogue knocked Mallowtuft over in one fell swoop and was hissing and spitting up a storm. ‘’Get off me, you mangy fleabag!’’ growled Mallowtuft, claws grabbing chunks of orange fur. ‘’I said, Get off!’’ Mallowtuft’s back paws dug into the rogue’s belly and thrust him off with a screech.

‘’Get off my land!’’ snarled the rogue, tail bristling like a bushel of fire. ‘’Damned clan-cats, thinking they can just walk all over everyone and do what they want.’’ Still spitting curses, the tom lashed out and scratched at Mallowtuft’s nose. ‘’Get outta here!’’

‘’Get away from her!’’ growled Tinystep, stepping in front of his slender friend. ‘’This is ShrikeClan territory and we’re not going anywhere.’’ His golden eyes blazed as the grey tom stepped forward, chest puffed out threateningly. ‘’So scram!’’ 

The ginger tom wasn’t scared, leering at the grey warrior. ‘’Silence, midget!’’ The rogue growled, eyes narrowed into furious slits. ‘’I have just as much right to live here as you.’’ He grizzled. ‘’I’ve been looking for my family for moons and you come along, trying to throw me out of my home, my land.’’ Fuming, the rogue stood before Tinystep. ‘’You’re not just a thief, but a liar.’’ Shaking his head, the rogue looked at Mallowtuft. ‘’ShrikeClan’s been dead for moons.’’

Shaking his head, Tinystep glared stubbornly at the rogue. ‘’No, there’s a clan nearby; a new ShrikeClan.’’ The grey tom licked his jaws, tail twitching still. ‘’And you’re on our territory.’’

The rogue wasn’t pleased but he did back off, sitting down before the two warriors. ‘’Well, perhaps we could cut a deal.’’ The ginger tom suggested, flicking his ear. ‘’I’ll leave, might even talk to your silly clan and consider joining.’’ He smiled slyly. ‘’In exchange that you help me find my family.’’

Tinystep looked skeptical, eyeing the rogue up and down. ‘’’You attacked Mallowtuft and called me a midget.’’ He pointed out, ears twitching. ‘’So, pardon me if I don’t particularly want to see you in our clan.’’ Tinystep huffed, turning away and trotting off; he expected Mallowtuft to follow suit but was surprised to find the molly still staring intently at the rogue. 

‘’Well, you’re reasonable’’ In many ways, Mallowtuft had to admit that it was unfair of them to drive the rogues and loners out of their homes; she had been a loner herself and it was the worst feeling in the world being chased away by strangers with sharp teeth, sharp claws and sharper words. ‘’You attacked me, insulted Tinystep…’’ Mallowtuft sighed, unable to believe herself. ‘’But I can relate to you on family, mine died when I was just a kitten.’’ 

‘’My condolences.’’

Ignoring the incredulous expression on Tinystep’s face, Mallowtuft continued. ‘’As long as you leave, we will help to look for your family.’’ Ears twitching, Mallowtuft glanced apologetically to a put-out Tinystep. ‘’But we need your name, what’s your name?’’

The ginger tom seemed grateful, not peaceful but very grateful. ‘’My name is Ajax, and I’ll always be in your debt if you find my family.’’ The rogue glanced at Tinystep, eyes narrowed in a sharp glare. ‘’And maybe I’ll join, so I can annoy you...all...day...long.’’

‘’Bite me.’’ replied Tinystep, tail lashing as he stepped away from the rogue. The grey warrior was so angry; he didn’t like the way the rogue swaggered as though he owned the entire forest, didn’t like the way he called him ‘midget’ and attacked his friend. There was something suspicious about the rogue and Tinystep didn’t want that in his clan.

Watching the rogue disappear without another word into the thickets, the pair decided it was time to return to camp; the sun was dipping below the trees, setting the horizon alight in a brilliant display of pinks, purples and blues. The shadows grew long and lazy, stretching over the woods and waging some quiet war against sunlight.


	3. The star-sent healer

‘’Batstar!’’ Tinystep called out, spotting the black tom eating a bird that he must’ve caught. ‘’We saw a rogue on our territory, he was looking for his family.’’ Tempted to lie, the grey warrior caught the stern look on Mallowtuft’s face and gulped. ‘’He promised to leave and consider joining in about a moon.’’ 

The black tom blinked slowly, looking surprised by this sudden outpour. ‘’Oh, okay then.’’ He wasn’t sure what to make of this, tucking his paws under his belly. ‘’I’ll...keep an eye out, I guess.’’ The green-eyed cat hoped he wasn’t messing up, hoped that this was what they wanted; this leadership business wasn’t something he’d dreamed of and for a moment, Batstar briefly considered just scarpering for the hills. 

Suddenly there was a patter of paws and a pale-ginger molly came crashing into the dark cavern. ‘’Oh! Oh, sorry!’’ She panted, looking around at the startled faces. ‘’StarClan told me that I was needed here.’’ The ginger tabby blinked slowly. ‘’They told me that there was a clan that was going to go through some dire times.’’ Looking around, she grimaced. ‘’M-my bad, I’ll be on my way.’’

‘’Wait.’’ called out Batstar, rising to his paws. ‘’What’s your name?’’ 

The molly stopped, turning back to Batstar with still trembling eyes. ‘’I’m...I’m Paleberry, sir.’’ She ducked her head respectfully, tail twitching nervously. ‘’I understand if you don’t trust me, given these sudden circumstances and the way that grey tom is glaring at me.’’ Paleberry winced, staring back at the bengal tom. ‘’Sorry.’’ She mumbled, blinking slowly.

‘’Oh, ignore him.’’ Mallowtuft piped up with a scoff. ‘’Tinystep’s just a great big ol’ bully, aren’t you?’’ Bumping his shoulder, the skinny warrior grinned at Paleberry. ‘’Besides, I’d love to have a fellow she-cat around so we can complain about toms together.’’ 

‘’Hey, what’s wrong with us?’’ Tinystep inquired, staring at Mallowtuft. 

‘’Everything.’’

With a light-hearted chuckle, Paleberry began to relax. ‘’I’d love that.’’ She beamed at Mallowtuft, eyes shimmering with ease. ‘’I think we’re going to be friends.’’

Listening to the exchange made Batstar feel happy and quietly, shadow-like, approached the young cat. ‘’You may join, I think you’re going to be a great medicine cat!’’ He spotted the bundle of herbs behind her, she must’ve dropped them in her rush. ‘’What are those?’’

‘’Oh, that’s marigold, coltsfoot, goldenrod and daisy.’’ She smiled, picking them up gently. ‘’They’re mainly used to help aches and wounds, with daisy being a travelling herb.’’ Looking pleased with herself, Paleberry couldn’t help but laugh at Batstar’s awed expression. ‘’Very simple herbs, although I might need to gather some more later.’’

Tinystep finally relaxed his scowling brows, forcing a polite smile on his face. ‘’My bad for being a big ol’ bully.’’ Glancing at Mallowtuft with a cheeky grin, Tinystep introduced himself to Paleberry. ‘’I hope you find what you need, I’d hate to come back with a missing leg and find there’s no cobwebs.’’ 

‘’You won’t come back with a missing leg.’’ Batstar replied.

‘’But what if I do?’’ shot back Tinystep.

Paleberry chuckled uneasily, shaking her head. ‘’Don’t worry, I’ll make sure there’s cobwebs.’’ The ginger molly disappeared out of the cavern, with Tinystep and Mallowtuft in tow; Batstar eventually followed and for the time being, the camp was silent.


	4. The following moon

Until next moon, when Batstar went out to meet the rogue as promised. ‘’Hello.’’ The black tom called out, wondering why Tinystep and Mallowtuft couldn’t have done this themselves; they had hurriedly told Batstar to meet him, claiming it was one of his ‘leaderly duties’ but who were they kidding? Batstar wasn’t a leader, no matter how much he tried to kid himself. 

The ginger tom looked up and grinned. ‘’So they didn’t want to show themselves?’’ 

 

‘’Yeah, they didn’t.’’ He muttered, standing before the tom. ‘’I’m Batstar, leader of ShrikeClan.’’ The dark tom grimaced at the title; it sounded so pompous and self-important,  
he hated it. ‘’And who are you?’’ Batstar inquired, ears twitching.

‘’My name is Ajax.’’ The rogue grunted, tail swaying in the air. ‘’And I see you’ve settled where my family used to thrive.’’ He closed his eyes for a moment, appearing to savour the quiet morning air. ‘’There used to be a clan but that was moons ago, surely, you weren’t there for the original ShrikeClan?’’

Batstar shook his head. ‘’No, I wasn’t even born yet.’’ He replied, tail twitching. ‘’But I will say that there is a ShrikeClan living in the caverns and we’re only four cats.’’ He looked sheepish, ducking his head and feeling the rogue’s bright stare. ‘’If you and your family joined, it would help us a lot.’’ 

Ajax smiled and nodded, bumping his head against Batstar’s. ‘’Alright! If you can manage to get the rest of my family to join, I’ll always be on your side.’’ Ajax promised, with a firm nod and a loud voice. ‘’I’ll keep an eye out for them, and you will be kind to every rogue, loner and kittypet that sets paw on your territory.’’ The way Ajax said this was threatening, dark and laced with wordless bullying.

Batstar gulped and nodded. ‘’Of course, I never particularly like conflict anyway.’’ The black tom turned away from the rogue, anxious and nervous and wanting to get away. ‘’But...but what’s your name going to be if you join?’’

‘’Oh yeah, you weirdos have two part names.’’ Ajax huffed. ‘’Well, call me Foxblaze, I guess.’’ The rogue fancied that it sounded very cool, and it worked too. ‘’Now, show me what ShrikeClan’s got!’’ Foxblaze leaped to his paws, tail thrashing before he abruptly tackled Batstar with a yell.

‘’W-what are you doing!?’’

‘’Training! Now, come at me!’’

Meanwhile, Tinystep and Mallowtuft were sat at the brink of a river. ‘’Oh, come on you sissy.’’ Mocked Tinystep, as he swiped at the cold water and snatched up a wriggling fish. ‘’It’s not that cold, Mallow!’’ The grey tom swiped again, enjoying the cool reprieve from the hot sun. 

Sticking her tongue out, Mallowtuft grumbled and drew her paws away from the river, watching it lap ominously against the bank-sides. ‘’Maybe for you but it’s freezing.’’ Mallowtuft turned to Tinystep with a knowing look. ‘’You’re only doing this because you win everytime, show off.’’ 

From the bushes surrounding them, a voice spoke. ‘’I can help.’’ mewed a pretty molly as she strode slowly out from the bright leaves, eyes twinkling with amusement as the warriors leaped up in surprise. ‘’I’m a pretty good fisher if I do say so myself.’’

 

Warily, the warriors watched as she sat by the river and began to fish; her movements were quick and graceful, the fish doomed to spend their last few moments gasping and panting thanks to the calico’s skill. ‘’You two were standing too close to the bank, your shadow was scaring them away.’’ She pointed out, wriggling her whiskers. ‘’But you two at least didn’t fall in.’’

‘’Thanks, I think?’’ Tinystep replied, tail twitching. ‘’You don’t seem that bad, what’s your name?’’ He glanced at Mallowtuft, who he noticed was watching him with a very amused smirk on her face. ‘’What?’’

‘’Nothing.’’ murmured Mallowtuft, returning her attention to the stranger. 

Oblivious to the exchanged looks, the calico grinned at them. ‘’My name is Sycamore.’’ She said the name with a ridiculous sense of pride. ‘’My mom named me after the tree that saved her from some dogs when she was pregnant with me.’’ 

‘’Wow.’’ Tinystep sighed, awed by this sad tale. ‘’That’s so cool, I like your name.’’ 

Mallowtuft let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. ‘’Tinystep, come on.’’ She turned to Sycamore, tail twitching. ‘’How’d you like to be a hunter? We could use some extra paws in ShrikeClan.’’ 

Sycamore was a naive and easily excitable young molly, and at the chance for a new adventure, the calico leaped for it. ‘’Of course! I’d love it!’’ Sycamore’s eyes twinkled and she bounced on the spot. ‘’Where’s ShrikeClan?’’

‘’This way!’’ cried Tinystep, bounding ahead of the others.’’It’s awesome!’’

As the pair ran off excitedly, Mallowtuft quietly followed with two fish in her maw. ‘’So silly…’’ The skinny molly shook her head softly, vowing quietly that she’d not fall in love like that; something bad was going to happen between Tinystep and Sycamore, and she didn’t want to be there for it.


	5. The whining leader

It wasn’t long before they finally found Foxblaze’s family, traipsing wearily through the trees and foliage. ‘’My family!’’ cried the fluffy ginger, barreling into his son and mate. ‘’There you are, I missed you so so much!’’ Foxblaze bundled his son up into a tight hug. ‘’I’m so glad you’re alive.’’ 

While Foxblaze was celebrating, his mate was glaring fiercely at Batstar. ‘’Dear, who is he?’’ The tortoiseshell’s voice was laced with concern, her pelt bristling as she drew back her son close to her. ‘’A friend of yours?’’ She didn’t like the look of him, the way he idly stared at the ground as though he lacked a brain, lacked a thought. 

‘’Oh! This guy is Batstar.’’ Foxblaze replied, shooting his mate a warning look. ‘’Leader of ShrikeClan.’’ The ginger tom glanced at a sheepishly-grinning Batstar before letting out a loud laugh. ‘’He’s harmless, Toad, no need to look at me like that!’’  
Toad scrunched up her nose in disagreement but didn’t stop her son from gasping in amazement. ‘’ShrikeClan! Are you part of it?’’ The ginger tom wrestled himself free from his mother’s protective grasp, tumbling towards his father. ‘’That’s so cool!’’ Buzzing with excitment and youth, he turned to Batstar with a sunny smile. ‘’My name is Poppy! And I’d love to join ShrikeClan!’’

‘’What the fuck!?’’ exclaimed Toad, pelt bristling. ‘’Poppy, you don’t know this tom!’’ She leaped to her paws with a loud growl. ‘’For all you know, ShrikeClan could be a mind-washing cult.’’ Glaring at Batstar, Toad crouched and felt her muscles tense up. ‘’Fuck off, Batstar.’’ 

 

Biting back a yelp, Batstar leaped to his defense. ‘’I mean no harm, ma’am.’’ The black tom gabbled, glancing anxiously at Foxblaze for his help. ‘’I assure you that I’d never harm your mate or your son.’’ Batstar tried to draw in a steady breath, without trembling like a leaf in a windstorm. ‘’Please don’t kill me.’’

Foxblaze glared at his mate, stepping calmly in front of Batstar. ‘’Listen, I assure you that Batstar is as harmless as a mouse.’’ He didn’t care for his mate’s anger, even if he did care for his mate. ‘’In ShrikeClan, you and the rest of the family can have protection from danger.’’ Foxblaze reasoned. ‘’As well as prey so you wouldn’t have to worry about Poppy or yourself starving to death or freezing up.’’ 

Looking excited, Poppy began to bounce on his paws as sprightly as a young cricket. ‘’That sounds amazing.’’ Turning back to his mother, Poppy reached up to her and touched noses with her. ‘’Please don’t be angry with me but I kinda wanna join…’’ Shuffling his paws anxiously, Poppy looked over his shoulder. ‘’Dads here and Batstar really doesn’t look dangerous.’’

Watching her son walk away from her, Toad couldn’t help but sag. ‘’I...I don’t want to join.’’ She sighed, shaking her head solemnly. ‘’I’m sorry, Poppy.’’ The tortoiseshell lovingly nuzzled her son, tail swaying in the cool air. ‘’I won’t be there with you, but I’m sure your father will.’’ Toad looked up at her mate. ‘’He always did prefer you to me.’’ 

Foxblaze smiled at his mate, nuzzling her one last time. ‘’I’ll always love you Toad, I’ll protect Poppy with my life.’’ Foxblaze murmured gravely. ‘’And that’s no exaggeration.’’ Turning to his son, Foxblaze purred softly. ‘’Say goodbye to your mother.’’

Obediently and lovingly nuzzling his mother, Poppy looked up at her gratefully. ‘’Thank you.’’ He murmured, holding onto Toad for a long time. ‘’Thank you for letting me do this.’’ Eventually, the tortoiseshell was released and the small family parted; Toad would sadly eventually pass away from greencough but Foxblaze would fortunately uphold his part of the deal.

Paleberry was more than happy to mentor Poppypaw, glad to see another so interested in herbs. ‘’I’d love to take Poppypaw in, of course!’’ She had an apprentice! A great responsibility but an exciting one nevertheless. ‘’I think we’ll go and gather herbs right away, I want to get started on his training.’’ Paleberry smiled at Poppypaw, who seemed more than happy to go out already. ‘’Ready, Poppypaw?’’

Without a reply, the ginger tom nodded and rushed out of the camp with Paleberry following quietly in tow; it was evident that Poppypaw was a tom with boundless energy and the quiet and gentle Paleberry was the perfect mentor for him; hopefully she could rein him in. 

Watching his son with pride, Foxblaze sighed happily before being stirred out of his fatherly reverie by a tap on his shoulder; it was Mallowtuft, looking at him with a friendly smile. ‘’Hey, we don’t really know each other so…’’ The pale molly looked around, tail twitching. ‘’..Wanna go hunting together?’’ 

This invitation was more than welcome and with a hearty grin, Foxblaze leaped to his paws and charged past her. ‘’I believe I can catch more prey than you, ma’am!’’ he boasted, breezing into the ferns and leaping over the logs. Meanwhile, Mallowtuft was galloping after him with a grin on her face. ‘’Oh, bring it on!’’ she cried, clambering after him. 

Batstar stayed behind in the quiet camp, laying curled up as his friends ran around and laughed and talked excitedly. It was lovely hearing them all so happy but Batstar couldn’t help wondering if things could stay rosy for long and if he could truly bring a sense of peace and comfort that they deserved.

‘’Oh StarClan, why did you make me leader?’’


	6. The red tom

The two loners, Sunsplash and Deerheart, took to clan-life quicker than had been anticipated. Poppypaw was more than happy to see them again, and hoped that perhaps Foxblaze would be able to bring home his mother and his aunt; maybe in a moon or so. Watching Mallowtuft and his father conversing, Poppypaw couldn’t help but frown thoughtfully.

They were spending an awful lot of time together and although the tom didn’t want to jump to conclusions, he couldn’t help but wonder if Mallowtuft was going to end up replacing his mother; she was nice but she wasn’t his mother, they hadn’t gone through trials and tribulations together and survived, they hadn’t laughed together or cried together. To have her as his mother would be meaningless.

Poppypaw’s thoughts were interrupted by Batstar and a slender tom. ‘’Everyone, this is Reedfire!’’ The black tom announced loudly, his voice echoing in the dark caverns. ‘’And he is your new deputy!’’ Poppypaw was shocked, startled that Batstar would choose a complete stranger to be deputy and not one of his friends like Tinystep or even Mallowtuft. ‘’Please be respectful.’’ murmured Batstar, with a grave nod.

Reedfire smiled in vulpine way, regarding the clan with cautious, amber eyes. ‘’Thank you, I’ll do my best.’’ Reedfire smiled charmingly at Sunsplash, tail twitching as she admired his slender frame. ‘’Be careful, honey, your mate is getting angry.’’ Reedfire chuckled, spotting the envious stare of Deerheart. ‘’I don’t want to make an enemy of anyone just yet.’’

While the clan clamoured over Reedfire, Poppypaw spotted a tiny figure at the yawning mouth of the cave. ‘’W-who are you?’’ He whispered, trotting over to spot a tiny, mewling kitten; they were scarcely two moons old and hungry, peering up at him with bright, wide eyes. ‘’I’m Squirrel.’’ The kitten replied, shuffling his paws and looking around curiously. ‘’Who are you?’’

‘’I’m Poppypaw.’’ The tom smiled, looking around. ‘’Where’s your mother? She couldn’t have abandoned you.’’ The ginger tom didn’t want to think about cats like that, wanted to believe that it was just an honest mistake and that she’d be coming back soon; no good cat could have ever left behind a kitten, and every cat had to be a good cat. At least that’s what Poppypaw thought, but when the kitten replied that indeed his mother was nowhere to be found, Poppypaw’s worst fears were realized. ‘’She just...left you?’’

Squirrel nodded, far too young to realize the severity of it. ‘’Just up and left, I’m sure she just forgot.’’ The ginger kitten murmured, tail twitching. ‘’I’m sure she just forgot, don’t look so sad.’’ Squirrel whimpered as Poppypaw picked him up, tiny legs kicking in the air. ‘’Put me down…’’

Poppypaw didn’t put him down until they were in the medicine cat den. ‘’Paleberry, I found a kitten.’’ He murmured. ‘’His mother just left him here and he looks so tiny.’’ Poppypaw looked down at the the young tom, eyes sad and grave. ‘’His name is Squirrel.’’ Poppypaw was acutely aware of his rambling, of the kitten nibbling at his paws. 

Paleberry looked down in surprise, staring at the kitten and Poppypaw. ‘’Oh, StarClan.’’ The pale tabby muttered, looking around; what did one do with an orphaned kitten? ‘’Poppypaw, could you go and tell Batstar?’’ Paleberry murmured. ‘’I don’t know what to do, but he’s the leader.’’ She smiled reassuringly. ‘’He should come up with something.’’

‘’Thanks, Paleberry.’’ sighed Poppypaw, nodding gratefully. ‘’I’ll do that.’’ Picking up the kitten again, he made for the exit. ‘’By the way, have you seen the new deputy? His name’s Reedfire.’’ He called over his shoulder. ‘’You should go and say hi.’’ And with that, Poppypaw left to see Batstar.

Following the ginger tom out of the den, Paleberry spotted a ruddy-furred stranger with one of the most beautiful eyes that she’d seen. ‘’Oh.’’ She muttered under her breath, trotting over to the deputy. ‘’Reedfire? Reedfire is it?’’ The medicine cat murmured, peering at him.

‘’Reedfire.’’ He confirmed with a nod, smiling quietly at the pale molly. ‘’And you’re…?’’ 

‘’Paleberry.’’ She smiled, trying to compose herself in the face of such a tall tom. ‘’I’m the medicine cat of ShrikeClan, nice to meet you.’’ Paleberry dipped her head respectfully. ‘If you don’t mind, I could show you around.’’

The tom smiled, nodding gratefully. ‘’That would be appreciated, my dear.’’ Reedfire purred, touching noses with the medicine cat. ‘’Lead the way, Paleberry!’’ With a smile on her face, the medicine cat trotted off with her tail held high. ‘’Oh thank you!’’ She murmured, wondering why she was the one saying thank you. ‘’Come this way…’’


	7. The stupid deputy

‘’It’s really nice to see young cats so happy, isn’t it?’’ sighed Tinystep, watching Mousepaw racing around the camp with a bright smile. Beside him, sat Sycamoreheart who quietly nodded assent. ‘’It is.’’ She murmured. ‘’And being a mentor looks so fun too.’’ The calico molly grinned, glancing at Tinystep who nodded in agreement.

Batstar was quietly playing mossball with Mousepaw, who twitched and jumped around excitedly. It had been so long since he had been like that and it brought a smile to the black tom’s face to see the satisfaction on Mousepaw’s face when she finally tackled the mossball to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Reedfire talking to Paleberry and tearing her away from her duties to go hunting; Batstar wasn’t impressed by this, Paleberry had to train Poppypaw after-all! 

 

Distracted, Batstar watched Reedfire and Paleberry running off with laughter. ‘’This isn’t good.’’ He mumbled, shaking his head. ‘’Reedfire really shouldn’t be deputy.’’ The black tom muttered, looking deathly serious. ‘’He really shouldn’t if he distrupts Pale-’’

‘’You’re talking to yourself.’’ Mousepaw pointed out, with a unimpressed expression. ‘’Come on, stop worrying.’’ The tabby glanced over her shoulder. ‘’It’s not gonna stop them, you know.’

Batstar knew Mousepaw had a point and tried to occupy his mind with an intense game of trying to pin the other to the ground; Mousepaw kept winning, obviously.

For the time being, the camp was calm until an excited Deerheart bounded out of the medicine cat den with an almighty cheer. ‘’I’m going to be a father!’’ He grinned, turning around to nuzzle his mate. ‘’I’m going to be a father, Sunsplash!’’ 

‘’That’s usually how it works, Deerheart.’’ She purred, smiling lovingly at her silly, hopelessly happy mate. As the clan gathered to congratulate them, Sunsplash preened in the attention and grinned broadly. ‘’Told you I’d have kits someday, Foxblaze.’’ She quipped, smirking at her brother. ‘’And they’re going to be so much better.’’

Foxblaze scoffed, tugging his son into a tight hug. ‘’My son is going to be a medicine cat! I don’t know about yours!’’ The ginger tom nuzzled Poppypaw, proud of him. ‘’They’re going to be playing catch up all their lives!’’

‘’Like Mallowtuft is playing hard to get with you?’’ Deerheart mocked, laughing loudly at Foxblaze’s flustered expression. ‘’Hey, don’t worry!’’ The brown tom smiled. ‘’Just be nice and become her friend, and see what happens.’’

 

Sunsplash nodded in agreement. ‘’She does look nice, and I think she’s lovely.’’ The ginger molly sighed, shaking her head. ‘’If I wasn’t already mates with Deerheart, I’d want her to be my mate.’’ Sunsplash admitted. ‘’Plus she seems to like you.’’ A cheeky smile slid onto her face, eyes glittering warmly. ‘’She-cat’s intuition, Foxblaze.’’ 

Reedfire watched on in excitement as Paleberry quietly stalked a mouse, tail arched upright in avid concentration. ‘’Come on...come on.’’ murmured the russet tom, eyes widening in anticipation when Paleberry lunged at the mouse. For a few heart-stopping moments, all was still until there was an audible squeak and the rustle of leaves that suggested the mouse’s flight into a copse of ferns.

 

Shaking his head, Reedfire smiled comfortingly at Paleberry. ‘’You did well for your first try.’’ The russet tom murmured reassuringly, spotting the withering expression on her face. ‘’Hunting is difficult, I didn’t catch my first piece of prey until I was 10 moons old.’’ Reedfire nuzzled the medicine cat, much to her surprise. ‘’You’ve made lots of progress, already.’’

Smiling gratefully, Paleberry looked up at Reedfire and chuckled. ‘’Did you really not catch any prey until 10 moons old?’’ The sandy-furred molly teased, eyes glittering warmly. ‘’Your mentor must’ve really been worried, Reedfire.’’ 

‘’Oh, they were ballistic!’’ Reedfire laughed, shaking his head. ‘’But I never gave up, and neither should you!’’ The deputy nodded firmly. ‘’You did very well, Paleberry.’’ Reedfire smiled and began padding home. ‘’Come on, we need to get back.’’

They were denied entrance by a quietly seething Batstar, his green eyes narrowed in a mix of exhaustion and hurt. ‘’Can I speak to you, Reedfire?’’ The black tom glanced at the deputy, shaking his head solemnly. ‘’Please.’’ He ordered, interrupting Reedfire as he opened his mouth to argue.

‘’What is it, Batstar?’’ muttered Reedfire as he sat before the quiet tom, watching Batstar pacing his den. ‘’I was just teaching Paleberry to hunt, what’s the problem?’’

Looking up, Batstar frowned. ‘’The problem is that Paleberry isn’t training Poppypaw, you’re distracting her from her duties.’’ Shaking his head, Batstar glanced at the ginger tom; Poppypaw had been down ever since Mallowtuft and Foxblaze had grown close, since his mother had never joined and now Paleberry was neglecting him. 

Glancing at Poppypaw, Reedfire huffed. ‘’Well, it was only once.’’ He pointed out, tail flicking quietly in the air. ‘’Besides can’t Poppypaw teach himself?’’ Reedfire turned to Batstar, eyebrow quirked skeptically. ‘’I mean, how hard is it to learn the names of a few leave?’’

Fur bristling, Batstar felt himself snap. ‘’If it’s not so difficult, why don’t you get Paleberry to teach you about herbs?’’ Leaping to his paws, Batstar loomed over Reedfire; embarrassingly, Reedfire was still just a little taller than he. ‘’Besides, why does she need to learn to hunt when we’ve already got hunters for our clan?’’ Batstar pointed out.

‘’Well, what if she gets lost?’’ Reedfire hissed like an adder, spine arching viciously. ‘’Then she’ll have to hunt.’’ The russet tom pointed out, snapping at Batstar’s muzzle. ‘’You’re so lucky I’m deputy, so I can pull this clan into shape!’’ Reedfire growled, before storming off in a tiff.

Still shaking with anger, Batstar swatted at Reedfire’s hindquarters before forcing himself to lay down. ‘’I never wanted to be leader anyway.’’ He muttered angrily, tucking his tail under his chin. ‘’Never wanted to find ShrikeClan, never wanted to be in charge of anyone.’’ Batstar closed himself off from the world, not even stirring when Tinystep and Mallowtuft entered his den and wisely curled up quietly next to him without a word.


	8. The annoyed apprentice

Paleberry was quietly pointing out the difference between mint and lavender to Poppypaw when Reedfire walked in, sitting quietly beside her. ‘’Hey Reedfire.’’ murmured Paleberry, glancing up at the tom. ‘’I’m...I’m kind of busy, I’m not sure we should go hunting again.’’ 

Reedfire scoffed, shooting Poppypaw a mean-look. ‘’No, we can still hang out.’’ He replied. ‘’Just...maybe you could teach me herbs!’’ Ignoring the stunned look of Paleberry’s apprentice, Reedfire nodded excitedly and turned to her. ‘’I mean, how hard can it be?’’ 

‘’Very.’’ muttered Poppypaw, shaking his head disapprovingly.

‘’I’m the deputy, I’m always right.’’ Reedfire gabbled, unaware of Poppypaw’s dismissiveness. ‘’Batstar’s just crazy and out of his mind.’’ The deputy smiled at Paleberry, tail coiling around his paws. ‘’Don’t listen to him, listen to me; I’ll be leader soon anyway.’’

The clan had grown since it’s earliest days and it was already time for little Squirrelkit’s apprentice ceremony. ‘’Squirrelpaw, over here!’’ called his mentor, as the grey tom padded over the bright ginger tom. ‘’I hope to do my best as mentor, so how about we work together?’’ Tinystep smiled warmly, bowing to nuzzle his cheerful young apprentice.

Squirrelpaw grinned and wriggled happily; the abandonment of his fickle mother a long forgotten memory. ‘’A’ight! I’ll do my best too!’’ exclaimed Squirrelpaw, tail twitching merrily and paws dancing lightly. ‘’Where to now?’’ ‘’The woods! You need to know where everthing is.’’

While the warriors and apprentices were buzzing with happiness, the those higher up were full of a crackling and invisible tension; like a branch waiting to snap. By the time it was dusk, Reedfire was sitting impatiently in the healer’s den and groaning over a pile of herbs. ‘’They all look the same, what’s the point?’’ The russet tom looked over to Poppypaw, who seemed to be very skillfully arranging them into neat little groups. ‘’How are you doing that?’’

‘’I listened to her and took the time to learn them.’’ Poppypaw’s eyes flashed. ‘’Instead of whining about them, Reedfire.’’ He wasn’t afraid of the deputy, he knew the code protected him and that Reedfire would not dare to harm him, not with his love for the code, his reputation and for Paleberry. ‘’And they’re not all the same.’’ The ginger tom sighed, pointing to a poppy and a goldenrod. ‘’If you think those two look the same, you’re a mousebrain.’’

Batstar spotted Reedfire and Paleberry chuckling together, surrounded by sweet-smelling lavender and thyme. ‘’Poppypaw!’’ the black tom called out as he padded into the medicine cat den, glancing at Reedfire and trying to ignore his cold, hard look. ‘’Poppypaw, can I just talk to you?’’ As the ginger tom politely trotted after him, Batstar could feel Reedfire’s hate and wondered if it was all going to tumble over, just because he told him that Paleberry had her duties to attend to.

‘’Has Paleberry taught you anything?’’ inquired Batstar, tilting his head. ‘’I’ve noticed she seems a little occupied these days, Poppypaw.’’ The black tom didn’t like questioning her integrity, didn’t like questioning her apprentice behind her back. 

Poppypaw quietly shook his head. ‘’She’s taught me the names of the herbs, but not all of them.’’ He screwed his face up thoughtfully, trying to be honest, trying not to let his own internal anger bubble over and ruin everything. ‘’I don’t think she’s taught me what they cure, like I don’t know what cures greencough.’’ Poppypaw admitted, tail twitching. 

Batstar sighed, shaking his head gravely; his head hurt and he felt so tired. ‘’This is bad, this is bad.’’ The black tom mumbled, looking down at his paws in mild despair. ‘’Poppypaw, do you mind keeping an eye on Paleberry for me?’’ Batstar stared quietly at the medicine cat den. ‘’I’m not stopping her from being friends with Reedfire, but I want her to remember why she was sent here.’’ Thankfully, Poppypaw agreed with a respectful nod before sauntering off.

Suddenly an ear-splitting screech filled the air and Poppypaw was racing towards the nursery; Sunsplash was kitting and it was urgent that she got some help. ‘’Paleberry!’’ The ginger apprentice called out, spotting his mentor lumbering towards Sunsplash’s side, trying to calm her down and not panic; neither had done this before, neither were prepared. 

Meanwhile, Foxblaze was laying down beside Mallowtuft. His ears pricked at his sister’s cry and the ginger tom tensed, looking concerned for Sunsplash until Mallowtuft rested against him and flashed him a gentle smile. ‘’Don’t worry, Sunsplash’s strong.’’ The slender molly nodded slowly. ‘’And she’s got two cats helping her, Fox.’’ Mallowtuft quietly groomed him, smoothing down his bristling fur. ‘’You’ll have some more nieces and nephews to teach manners to.’’


	9. The pretty meadow

Paleberry lay curled up in her den, sighing wistfully; she’d been feeling sick and simultaneously hungry at the same time for a while now. Paleberry knew what was up but a part of her wanted to go on denying it, to go on pretending that everything was fine and nothing had happened; but she couldn’t. ‘’Poppypaw.’’ Paleberry called out, hearing her apprentice’s pattering paws. ‘’I’ve been so neglectful, I’m sorry.’’ She sighed, shaking her head gravely and wondering if she was really going to do this. ‘’I think I’m going to step down.’’

 

Gawking, the apprentice’s jaw dropped. ‘’But...but you’re the only medicine cat we’ve got!’’ Poppypaw exclaimed, a little fearful of what was to come. ‘’And I’ve got barely any experience!’’ The ginger tom gabbled, shaking his head before grabbing hold of some semblance of calm in this calamity. ‘...Why?’’ His voice trembled.

‘’I’m pregnant.’’ Paleberry sighed, bowing her head as she braced herself for the rage, the fury and the despair. ‘’Reedfire’s the father, and I don’t think you need any more reasons to see why I’m unfit to be a medicine cat.’’ Paleberry chuckled without humour, shaking her head. ‘’I’ll give them to Sunsplash when they’re born and I’ll speak to Batstar too.’’

Poppypaw frowned, then sighed in defeat. ‘’Don’t forget that this is also Reedfire’s fault.’’ He murmured, tail curling around his paws as he seemed to shrink in on himself; First Foxblaze had forgotten him and now, in a way, Paleberry had too. ‘’Reedfire’s unfit to be deputy if he goes around impregnating medicine cats.’’ Poppypaw pointed out. ‘’Heck, what if he impregnates me?’’ 

Paleberry chuckled, shaking her head. ‘’Of course, I’ll tell Batstar about Reedfire.’’ Feeling a little better, the molly touched noses with the kind-hearted apprentice. ‘’You’re the medicine cat now, but don’t worry...I’ll still be there.’’ Paleberry reassured, smiling softly. ‘’Poppyleaf.’’

‘’Hey, Mallowtuft.’’ called out Foxblaze, through an entangled bundle of forget-me-nots. ‘’I picked these for you, they match your eyes.’’ He remarked, placing them gently at the beautiful molly’s paws. ‘’I must confess that I have grown feelings for you, and I understand if you don’t like me in return but please, accept this gift.’’

Taken aback, Mallowtuft could almost hear Tinystep’s teasing and jokes in the distance; she’d bullied him for falling heads over heels for Sycamoreheart but look at her, flattered by Foxblaze’s chivalry. ‘’That’s very sweet…’’ Mallowtuft remarked, prodding at the light-blue flowers. ‘’...Where’d you find them?’’ 

Foxblaze smiled. ‘’Oh, there’s a meadow nearby.’’ He murmured, a little hopeful. ‘’I could show you sometime, if you’d like.’’

Mallowtuft nuzzled the tom, pulling him into a hug. ‘’I’d love that.’’ She corrected herself after a few moments. ‘’I love you, you’ve always been a very kind tom and I see no reason why that’s going to change anytime soon.’’ Mallowtuft stepped back, glancing behind him to spot Tinystep with a mocking expression on his face. ‘’I love you too, Foxblaze.’’ Screw you, Tinystep. 

Pansyfang was watching critically from a distance, brow quirked as she watched Tinystep mocking Mallowtuft from a distance. ‘’Pardon me, but what are you doing’’ The calico murmured, shaking her head solemnly. ‘’They’re having a moment, could you not interrupt it?’’ 

 

The grey tom wasn’t impressed and huffed. ‘’She’s my friend, it’s just a joke.’’ Tinystep replied, tail twitching. ‘’Why so moody, Pansyfang?’’ The bengal inquired, shaking his head. ‘’Are you jealous that Sycamoreheart likes me?’’ Tinystep beamed at her. ‘’Don’t blame you, she’s quite the looker.’’ 

 

‘’I don’t even know who she is.’’ Pansyfang shot back. ‘’In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Sycamoreheart around here, have you?’’ The warrior inquired, looking around. 

Tinystep huffed again and looked around, Pansyfang was right; Sycamoreheart hadn’t been in camp lately and he hadn’t spent that much time with the pretty calico, it was almost as if she was avoiding him. ‘’Whatever, I’m going hunting.’’ Tinystep replied, raising his chin in mild indignation. ‘’Make yourself useful at least.’’ He called back, padding away from a rather surprised Pansyfang.


	10. The twisted paw

Firepaw, Mistpaw and Mousepaw were laying in the cool shade of the trees while their mentors were away on patrols or some such. ‘’Hey guys!’’ Firepaw exclaimed all of a sudden, leaping to his paws in visible excitement. ‘’Wanna race to that tree over there?’’ The red tom pointed to a hulking oak, it’s girth wide and branches thick. ‘’First one to get there and back is the winner.’’

‘’Alright, bring it on!’’ exclaimed Mistpaw, grinning. ‘’I’ll have you eating my dust.’’ Boasted the pale-silver tom as he crouched, tail snaking in the air. ‘’And have you crying back to your mentor about how much you suck!’’ 

Quietly, Mousepaw rose with a soft chuckle. ‘’Oh, you foolish little tom-cats.’’ Cooed the tabby, shaking her head solemnly. ‘’Do you know that they call me ‘the striped lightning!’’’ Mousepaw clamoured, paws papping at the ground. ‘’Because I’m that fast!’’ 

Without another boast, the three apprentices raced clumsily towards the oak; Firepaw was in the lead, a streaking bolt of russet until a sneaky root coiled around his paw and sent him tumbling to the ground with a loud cry. ‘’My paw! Ow, my paw…’’ whimpered Firepaw, curled around his twisted foot. ‘’Guys, it’s all bent…’’

‘’Holy Starclan!’’ yelled Mistpaw, gawking at Firepaw. ‘’It’s pointing the wrong way, gross!’’ He prodded at it, dragging out a sharp hiss from Firepaw in the process. ‘’We need to get Paleberry!’’ Mistpaw turned to Mousepaw. ‘’They called you the ‘striped lightning’, go, go live up to your name!’’ 

Nodding sternly, Mousepaw raced off in a hurry; Firepaw was still mewling in pain and Mistpaw still gasping in horror at the state that her friend’s paw was in. She didn’t care about the race anymore, didn’t care that she knew they both had a crush on her; she only cared about her friend’s well-being and his poor paw. 

Resting in the medicine cat’s den, Firepaw was whining quietly to himself that he wasn’t training, much to Poppyleaf’s amusement. Hearing the sound of pawsteps, Firepaw looked up and was delighted to see his friend, Mousepaw standing before him, along with a strange tom that he didn’t know. ‘’Oh, hey Mousepaw.’’ Firepaw grinned, eyes that had been dulled with pain suddenly bright with joy. ‘’And who’s this?’’ Firepaw tilted his head questioningly. ‘’I’ve never seen them before.’’

Mistpaw barrelled into view, nearly crashing to the ground. ‘’This is Greypaw!’’ He blurted out, stumbling and collapsing to the ground. ‘’They’re going to be training with us!’’ Mistpaw smiled at Greypaw, nudging him. ‘’Aren’t you?’’

Smiling shyly at Firepaw, Greypaw nodded. ‘’Yeah, I am.’’ Turning to Mousepaw and nodding bashfully, Greypaw echoed himself. ‘’Yeah, I am.’’ Meekly, Greypaw hid behind Mousepaw and quietly watched the others as they went about their day.


	11. The playful kittens

It had been a full moon since the kittens were welcomed happily into the clan. Daisykit and Cherrykit were tumbling around outside the nursery, tussling in the dust and batting at each other with soft paws. Lovingly, Sunsplash and Deerheart were observing them in between moments of fawning and adoration; occasionally reaching out to trip one of them over before being tackled by two vengeful kittens.

Deerheart had noticed Paleberry’s nervousness, the way her eyes darted guiltily towards the nursery and Reedfire; he had also noticed that Batstar was becoming more protective of her, forming an invisible barrier between the deputy and medicine cat. While he was just a simple warrior, the affairs of the higher-ups interested him and slowly, the brown tom became lost in his thoughts; could it be that something was tearing them all apart?

Mousepaw was ready and proud, sauntering boldly out of the camp for her last assessment; if she passed, she’d go on swiftly to gain her warrior name and be able to boast it proudly to her friends, at least until they got their warrior names. There was a patter of paws and Firepaw came leaping up to her, all smiles and sunshine. ‘’Good luck, Mousepaw! I know you can do it!’’ The ginger tom beamed at her, nuzzling her before running off; his mentor was calling.

‘’Firepaw, Firepaw!’’ beckoned Greypaw, blue eyes intent on the ginger tom. ‘’You miss her already, don’t you?’’ The fluffy tom didn’t wait for a response, scoffing under his breath. ‘’Listen, you stay away from her.’’ Greypaw ignored Firepaw’s look of surprise, of hurt. ‘’I know you’re smart, so you must know that you stand no chance with her.’’ His eyes did not once look away from Firepaw, roaring through him like a torrent of water. ‘’So back off.’’ Greypaw growled, befor sulking off and leaving behind a very confused and hurt Firepaw.

Watching his former mentor crouched in quiet pain and concentration, Poppyleaf anxiously hovered beside him and tried not to look Batstar in the eye; the dark tom wasn’t pleased but mercifully, he wasn’t saying anything and didn’t appear to be too angry at Paleberry; or at least not as angry as Poppyleaf had imagined. 

 

‘’Poppyleaf, make sure she gets the herbs she needs.’’ ordered Batstar, his voice as soft as a feather. ‘’I’m going to talk to Reedfire and train Firepaw, you make sure the kits are delivered safely.’’ With a respectful bow, Batstar turned and marched out of the den; Reedfire was snatched up and dragged away from Snowwhisker, and was loudly complaining to Batstar that he’d been enraptured in her voice and eyes. Batstar didn’t give a fuck. 

Nearby lay Tinystep and Pansyfang, resting idly in the sunshine. ‘’What is happening these days?’’ muttered the pale calico, shaking her head dismissively. ‘’Why does Batstar look so angry at Reedfire?’’ Turning to Tinystep, Pansyfang frowned. ‘’You said that Batstar never gets angry, but he is angry.’’

The grey bengal sighed, tail twitching. ‘’Well, he’s got emotions you see.’’ Tinystep explained, eyes glittering tauntingly. ‘’Have you heard of those?’’ Tinystep inquired, tilting his head. ‘’They’re when someone feels something due to something happening and..’’

‘’Oh shut up.’’ Pansyfang snapped, shaking her head. ‘’I know exactly what they are.’’


	12. The dead kittens

Paleberry was wracked with grief, crouched around two dead kittens and one fighting to catch its breath. ‘’Poppyleaf...Poppyleaf.’’ She mewled out, peering at the ginger tom as he hurried and busied himself around the medicine cat den. ‘’Help me.’’ Paleberry sobbed as Poppyleaf picked her up and helped her to the nursery, where they were hurriedly placed in a warm nursery and the kittens cuddled by Sunsplash and Paleberry; the two dead ones were named Redkit and Dovekit, and with teary eyes Paleberry wished them good tidings in StarClan.

But the two that lived were gorgeous and Paleberry loved them, cradling them close to her as though they too would die like Redkit and Dovekit. ‘’Dustkit, and Lightningkit.’’ Paleberry murmured with a gentle nod, fawning over them. ‘’They’re so lovely.’’ They would grow into strong warriors, Paleberry was certain; they had fought so hard for their first few seconds of life, they had to be warriors. 

‘’Paleberry.’’ Reedfire suddenly loomed at the mouth of the nursery, looking stern. ‘’We have to leave.’’ The russet tom sneered at Batstar, pelt bristling like a wildfire. ‘’Batstar has demoted me as deputy just because I love you.’’ Scoffing, Reedfire stared at Dustkit before picking him up; the skinny brown kitten mewed piteously, swatting at the air for it’s mother. ‘’We need to leave, we can start a new clan elsewhere.’’ Reedfire grinned ambitiously. ‘’Just you, me and the kittens!’’ He crouched before her. ‘’Paleberry, will you be my mate?’’

Batstar said nothing, remaining impassive no matter how much Paleberry glanced worriedly at him. ‘’Reedfire.’’ She sighed, taking Dustkit from him and reuniting the tom with his sister. ‘’I love you, or at least I love the idea of you.’’ The pale molly shook her head. ‘’You deserve a cat that loves you for who you are, and I’m not that cat.’’ A thin smile graced her face for a few moments as Paleberry turned her back to Reedfire forever. 

Mousepaw came as Mousefeather, bouncing excitedly before her friends. ‘’It was amazing!’’ The tabby molly exclaimed, wriggling like a worm. ‘’The StarClan cats appeared and they called me Mousefeather, because I can creep real quiet and they said I’m apparently really gentle and kind?’’ Uncharacteristically excited, Mousefeather raced past the others to tell her mentor of her achievements and left them all feeling quite envious. 

Tinystep and Mallowtuft were quietly talking to each other when Pansyfang raced up to join them. ‘’Where do you think you’re going without me?’’ The calico inquired, pouting at the pair of them. ‘’I’d rather like to come with you.’’

‘’We were just going to take a break from the clan.’’ Mallowtuft explained, tail swaying lightly in the air. ‘’With all that’s happening with Batstar and Reedfire, nothing feels the same anymore.’’ Mallowtuft admitted, turning to Tinystep.

The bengal nodded in agreement, smiling apologetically at Pansyfang. ‘’We just want to be able to talk and fish; Sycamoreheart also just left and I’m kinda sad about it.’’ Tinystep frowned, the smile melting away like ice. ‘’Pansyfang, I don’t want you to come with us.’’

Quietly and thoughtfully, the calico nodded and turned away. ‘’Take your time.’’ She called over her shoulder, disappearing into the warrior’s den as she did; they didn’t come back until the next day.


	13. The forgotten son

‘’I told you that you could do it!’’ Firepaw exclaimed, as they sat in a circle. ‘’I’ve got mine coming up soon, can’t wait until I can stay up however long I want!’’ The ginger tom exclaimed excitedly. ‘’I want my name to be Fireflower, or Fireclaw!’’ He nodded resolutely. ‘’Something badass.’’

Mistpaw nodded in agreement, cheerfully echoing Firepaw’s words. ‘’I can’t wait either!’’ Turning to Greypaw, Mistpaw nudged him. ‘’You said you had something to give Mousefeather!’’ He peered behind the fluffy tom, blinking in astonishment. ‘’That’s really pretty.’’

‘’Like Mousefeather.’’ Greypaw replied, proffering a rose to the surprised warrior. ‘’I got you this, to celebrate you being a warrior.’’ Greypaw smiled timidly, sky-blue eyes glimmering softly. ‘’You’re a friend after-all and I treat my friends right.’’ He glanced pointedly at Firepaw, almost challenging him to stay something; Firepaw kept quiet and wisely so.

Mistpaw didn’t notice this and nor did Mousefeather. ‘’We should probably get going, our mentors will go nuts if we’re slacking off.’’ The pale-grey tom chuckled, somewhat uneasy now. ‘’See you later!’’ Mistpaw grinned and raced off, along with Mousefeather.

Greypaw turned to Firepaw with a deep snarl. ‘’I told you, stay away from her.’’ Standing menacingly before the ginger tabby, Greypaw shook his head disappointedly. ‘’I bet you’re going to suck in your assessment, you’re all bark and no bite.’’ The grey tom’s eyes shone strangely, a mixture of pride and malevolence. ‘’I also give gifts to the cats I don’t like, so keep your eyes out.’’  
‘’You saw him, please tell me that you saw him.’’ Badgersnarl inquired, tail twitching as the duo lumbered through the sunny woods. ‘’I think we should try and find him.’’ The black and white tom remarked, resolute in his mission. Beside him, Frecklestone was nodding sagely and quietly agreed with Badgersnarl, except there was a chance the kitten wouldn’t make it; that it’d pass away from exhaustion, fear, thirst and hunger. ‘’He could be an asset to the clan, if he survives.’’ The speckled molly nodded, eyes dark with half-buried hatchets. ‘’If he survives.’’

‘’Foxblaze.’’ Mallowtuft murmured, looking very grave. ‘’I have something to say.’’ 

His attention was quickly grabbed and Foxblaze was lumbering up to her, looking fearful for his mate. ‘’What’s wrong, Mallowtuft?’’ The ginger tom frowned, ears pricked in vigilance. ‘’Did someone hurt you? Did I hurt you? What happened?’’ Foxblaze rambled worriedly. 

‘’I’m pregnant with your kittens.’’ Mallowtuft suddenly grinned, catching her mate off-guard. ‘’You’re going to be a father again! I’m going to be a mother!’’ Mallowtuft bounced onto her paws, nuzzling Foxblaze happily. ‘’This is the greatest thing ever to happen to me.’’

Foxblaze’s concern morphed into joy and the ginger tom was skipping around camp, boasting about how his kittens would be the best ever and that nobody could top this when suddenly Poppyleaf stood before him, frowning softly. ‘’What about me? I just became medicine cat and you didn’t even realize.’’ Poppyleaf murmured, shaking his head in disappointment. ‘’I’m happy for you, but can you stop forgetting about me?’’


	14. The obvious crush

Cherrykit and Daisykit peered at the new kittens, gawking at them and fawning over them. ‘’When can we play with them?’’ Cherrykit inquired, looking up at a nervous and hesitant Paleberry. ‘’We’ll be gentle!’’ promised Daisykit, crouched quietly before his sister as though he were hunting a mouse. 

‘’When they’re older, you can play with them.’’ replied Paleberry, curling her tail protectively around the kittens as she spied Batstar outside the nursery; he didn’t look angry, just disappointed which somehow hurt Paleberry far more. ‘’Their names are Dustkit and Lightningkit.’’ She murmured, with a feigned and strained smile. 

Cherrykit looked up at Paleberry, green-eyes bright and curious. ‘’I heard you were the medicine cat.’’ The tortoiseshell kitten failed to spot Paleberry’s look of apprehension, blundering on with a kitten-like bluntness. ‘’I thought medicine cats weren’t allowed to have kittens, or mates.’’ Daisykit nodded in agreement, frowning. ‘’Dad says cats that break the code are traitors.’’

Batstar came swiftly to her rescue. ‘’She’s not the medicine cat anymore.’’ He pointed out sternly. ‘’Poppyleaf is and I don’t see him having any kittens soon.’’ The black tom quietly shooed them back to Sunsplash, sitting beside Paleberry and looking solemn. ‘’Reedfire’s no longer the deputy, I told him that he was unfit and assigned Mallowtuft in his place.’’ Batstar informed. ‘’Thank you for stepping down for me, I appreciate it even if I am not happy with you.’’

‘’Batstar, I am so so so sorry.’’ Paleberry began to gabble, shaking her head. ‘’I know what I did was wrong, but please don’t take it out on the kittens.’’ She curled protectively around them, ears pinned flat against her head. ‘’Please, Batstar.’’ 

Things were getting hard and Batstar was trying to keep calm, he really was. ‘’Medicine cats aren’t supposed to have kittens, you know that.’’ He murmured, approaching her on mouse-quiet paws. ‘’Especially not with deputies that are supposed to be working.’’ The black tom could hear a hiss and a whimper from Paleberry, and the kittens getting uneasy. ‘’...I’m sorry, Paleberry.’’ He bowed and tried not to be sad, tried not to show his emotions on the surface but it was so, so, so hard. ‘’Reedfire’s more at fault then anything, I did kinda have a crush on him.’’ The deputy was so damned charming and handsome, the stereotypical hero of kitten’s fairy-tales. ‘’Paleberry, I see you as the lowest of my warriors but Reedfire is not a warrior, not even a clan-cat.’’ His eyes twinkled gently. ‘’He’s a traitor.’’

Paleberry listened to his rambling and cuddled the kittens, cupping them in her pale paws. ‘’Don’t make them cry, Batstar.’’ She whispered, almost scolding the dark tom. ‘’You’ve punished me and Reedfire enough, you don’t need to keep talking about this.’’ Paleberry looked up at Batstar, a new fire in her eyes, unusually protective and fierce. ‘’If you ever want to be mates with Snowwhisker, you need to learn to let some things go.’’

Frozen in place by Paleberry’s words, he stammered. ‘’Let things go?’’ Batstar looked to the side as though calculating the worth of her advice. ‘’I...I didn’t even realize, I’m sorry.’’ Batstar shook his head, looking up at Paleberry. ‘’And how did you know I liked Snowwhisker?’’

‘’Batstar, it’s very obvious.’’

‘’I hate it.’’ Mistpaw mumbled, crouched beside Firepaw. ‘’I like Greypaw, but we’re both toms.’’ Confused, the apprentice looked up at his friend. ‘’Is it wrong? I remember something from a long time ago about toms liking toms and mollies liking mollies being...wrong.’’ He shuddered, crouched on the ground. ‘’Firepaw, please don’t think of me any less, please.’’

Firepaw blinked slowly, warring between comforting his friend and warning him about Greypaw’s sinister threats. ‘’Mistpaw, you’re my friend.’’ Firepaw chuckled uneasily, a kind smile on his face. ‘’It’s okay if you like toms, it’s no big deal.’’ He nuzzled Mistpaw, trying to ease his worst fears. ‘’Thanks for telling me, it means a lot.’’ Firepaw looked up, straightening himself. ‘’And times change! If any cat says anything, I’ll rip their ears off!’’ Leaping to his paws, Firepaw buried any fears, any concerns, any doubts that he had about Greypaw and nodded determinedly. ‘’If you need any tips on talking to Greypaw, let me know!’’ 

‘’I know how to talk to Greypaw.’’ replied Mistpaw, smiling gratefully. ‘’But thank you, so much.’’


	15. The foster mother

Mistpaw and Greypaw tumbled back into camp, in the thick of an argument. ‘’I totally did better than you.’’ boasted Mistpaw, bumping Greypaw’s shoulder. ‘’My hunting is the best around here!’’ Smiling cheekily, the pale-white tom turned to Greypaw. ‘’Unless you wanna prove me wrong sometime.’’ Mistpaw dared, with a friendly smile. ‘’By the way, Greypaw, do you know where Firepaw is? He was really looking forward to this!’’ 

Mysteriously, Greypaw chuckled and turned to the high-rock. ‘’Firepaw must’ve gotten himself into an accident.’’ The fluffy tom sighed, shaking his head. ‘’Batstar looks like he’s got something to say, maybe he’ll mention Firepaw.’’ Greypaw sat beside Mousefeather, feigning concern in his sky-blue eyes. 

‘’We’re welcoming two new warriors and mourning the loss of one.’’ Batstar called out, the strain of duty already casting a few grey hairs in his muzzle. ‘’Greypaw and Mistpaw have passed their assessments, and will be visiting StarClan for their names.’’ There was an empty pause as the clan realized who had died, Mousefeather being among the first to mourn. ‘’Firepaw was found, killed by a snake.’’ Greypaw’s pride in his deed was quickly turned into horror, however when Batstar continued. ‘’We feel that it is murder, as the snake was found to have been dropped ontop of Firepaw; snakes can’t fly, so somebody must have dropped a snake on Firepaw.’’ Green eyes watched his clan warily and Greypaw shuddered, he had to be very careful. 

Mousefeather frowned, stiffening in quiet anger. ‘’Who would kill Firepaw?’’ She turned to Greypaw and Mistpaw in disbelief. ‘’He was so nice, so sweet.’’ Mousefeather stood up and glared determinedly at the pair. ‘’I’m going to investigate and whoever killed Firepaw is dead.’’ Spotting Hawkcloud and Ryefur getting ready to work out this dreadful mystery, Mousefeather raced off and left Greypaw extremely worried. 

‘’I and Reedfire have buried his body, there will be a memorial for Firepaw later on.’’ Batstar continued, looking as though he were trying to keep despair out of his voice; Firepaw had been his apprentice and now he was dead, because of some spiteful cat. ‘’I hope you’re all there, Firepaw deserves it.’’

Reedfire lay, disgruntled and humiliated that he had to lug Firepaw’s dead body into a muddy hole. Yes, he was no longer deputy and it was all very sad but Reedfire couldn’t help but feel as though Batstar was just laughing at him now. Grumpily sulking in a corner, Reedfire perked up at the sound of a kitten and he turned to spot Dustkit running up to him.

‘’Hey, I caught a moth!’’ Dustkit beamed at him. ‘’Do you think I’ll be a good hunter?’’ Lightningkit joined Dustkit, a spider dangling from her jaws. ‘’The spider was huge! I did way better than Dustkit!’’

Chuckling, Reedfire smiled at them. ‘’Wow, that’s amazing.’’ He gasped, ears twitching. ‘’You better show Paleberry, she’ll be so proud of you two.’’ The russet tom watched them scampering off like mice, as they tumbled back into the nursery. 

 

‘’Reedfire.’’ murmured Snowwhisker, plodding up to him. ‘’I need some advice.’’ The white molly sat bashfully before her friend, looking down at her paws. ‘’Batstar asked me to be his mate but I’m not really interested in him.’’ Snowwhisker frowned thoughtfully. ‘’He’s nice but I just don’t see him that way, you know?’’

Immediately, Reedfire leaped up in a bristling bundle of fur and courage. ‘’I’ll protect you!’’ He proclaimed, tail lashing angrily. ‘’If he tries to pull anything, I will slit his throat nine times over for you.’’ Reedfire looked around. ‘’Where is Batstar?’’

Sighing, Snowwhisker frowned at Reedfire. ‘’He’s not forcing me to do anything.’’ She curled her tail around her paws. ‘’Leave your hatred out of my affairs, I just need advice on turning down others; I don’t want to hurt his feelings.’’ Snowwhisker explained, glancing behind him to spot Acornfur and Frecklestone. ‘’I think Paleberry’s getting a bit annoyed by Acornfur over there.’’

‘’Come on! Aren’t I allowed to talk to pretty cats?’’ complained Acornfur, tugging himself away from the black and white molly. ‘’Get off me!’’ Acornfur hissed, swatting at Frecklestone. ‘’She said no, leave her alone!’’ The dappled molly tugged at him, glaring at Acornfur. ‘’You are despicable, Acornfur.’’ Frecklestone growled, eyes flashing. 

In a bolt of spitting fire, Reedfire tackled Acornfur and pinned him down to the ground. ‘’Go away!’’ He snarled, bristling. ‘’Paleberry told you to leave her alone, so scram!’’ Reedfire glared at Frecklestone, swiping at her. ‘’And you, scram!’ The pair bolted, scrambling away from the nursery with indignant cries.

Smiling gratefully at the tom, Paleberry looked down at the kittens as he approached. ‘’Thank you, although you didn’t need to scare Frecklestone.’’ She pointed out. ‘’She was trying to help me but Acornfur was being awfully stubborn.’’ Paleberry nuzzled Dustkit and Lightningkit, who lay sleepy against her belly. ‘’Did these two show you what they caught?’’

‘’They did!’’ Reedfire nodded, chuckling as Dustkit complained they were being too loud. ‘’They’re going to be amazing hunters, or fighters.’’ Reedfire shook his head. ‘’Whatever they choose, they’re going to be amazing.’’ He looked up at Paleberry. ‘’The only improvement would be if you were my mate.’’

Quietly, Frecklestone watched them from the warriors den and recalled the kitten she’d rescued all those moons ago; he was a warrior now and she’d barely spoken to him since! Getting up, Frecklestone raced to find Squirrelhop and congratulate him, after-all what was a mother for?


	16. The peaceful talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is very short, I know.

‘’You two are going to be apprentices soon!’’ exclaimed Deerheart, his voice brimming with pride. ‘’I’m so proud of you two.’’ The brown tom nuzzled them both, pulling them close. ‘’However, you two be careful around Dustkit and Lightningkit.’’ He frowned, shaking his head solemnly. ‘’I know they didn’t choose to be born, but they’re forbidden kittens.’’ Ignoring their cries of protest, Deerheart continued. ‘’I’m not saying be nasty to them, I’m saying that you two better keep your wits about you.’’ He crouched, fixing them a stern look. ‘’Under no circumstances, are you to like them.’’ Cherrykit and Daisykit nodded uncertainly, glancing at one another; they liked Dustkit and Lightningkit, they were a comical pair and good friends with them but they didn’t want to disappoint their father. ‘’Yes, dad.’’ murmured Cherrykit, before they both ran off.

Walking away from them with a small smile, Deerheart slid himself next to Tinystep and Pansyfang. ‘’Hey, guys.’’ He murmured, tail twitching. ‘’What are you talking about?’’ He glanced at the bengal’s bashful expresion and smirked. ‘’Ah, you’re talking about love am I right?’’

Pansyfang nodded. ‘’Tinystep’s got a crush on Pinefur.’’ The calico did seem a little hurt, she had a fancy for Tinystep but quietly, the round warrior had shunted her feelings aside; they were better off as friends after-all. ‘’He’s nice but a little too stern for me.’’ Pansyfang glanced at Tinystep, looking disapproving. ‘’All these crushes flying around, dear StarClan!’’

‘’You can’t say anything, you had the hots for me!’’ Tinystep pointed out. ‘’And for Sycamoreheart!’’ He teased, turning to Deerheart. ‘’And yeah, there’s a lot of cats with crushes around here.’’ He pointed to Robinleap, with a chuckle. ‘’She’s got a crush on Mousefeather.’’ Tinystep then turned to Saltwhisker, the she-cat that had travelled from afar. ‘’Saltwhisker likes Gingerfang but just found out that he’s got a crush on Badgersnarl.’’

Pansyfang scoffed. ‘’Saltwhisker was always very silly, but at least she’s not bugging Gingerfang anymore.’’ Tutting, the calico turned to Deerheart. ‘’Gingerfang’s very nice, isn’t he? I kinda hope he becomes mates with Badgersnarl, they’re good for each other.’’


	17. The lovely lovers

The newcomers were quickly settling down into the nursery, Patchbelly curling around her small kitten and looking warily at Snowwhisker, as the molly strode in to greet her. ‘’Hey...I’m Snowwhisker, it’s nice to meet you.’’ She murmured politely, dipping her head to the mother and her only son. ‘’I’m Patchbelly, nice to see you.’’ The calico replied stiffly, still watching, still waiting for her to make one wrong move.

Crouching beside the mother, Snowwhisker watched Smudgekit feeding and smiled as the small black and white tom squeaked noisily and sleepily. It made her feel warm and happy on the inside, she wanted to have kits of her own but what options were there? Wasn’t like she was interested in any of toms or mollies around in ShrikeClan. Feeling her smile fall, Snowwhisker was shaken out of her thoughts by Lightningkit and Dustkit.

‘’Can he play with us?’’ Lightningkit inquired, staring up at Patchbelly with a sunny smile. ‘’Me and Dustkit have come up with a new game and we’re wondering if Smudgekit wants to join in!’’ 

 

Patchbelly shook her head. ‘’Smudgekit’s asleep, he’s not had very much sleep recently.’’ She sighed, looking up at Snowwhisker. ‘’Thank you for taking us in, I don’t know what I would have done if Smudgekit had died.’’ She turned to her son, looking sad. ‘’He’s not really my son, he’s my sister’s.’’ Shaking her head, Patchbelly screwed her eyes shut. ‘’My sister’s dead, my mate’s dead, her mate’s dead.’’ The calico opened her eyes. ‘’A lot of my family is dead.’’

The heavy mood scared away the kittens, scrambling for Mallowtuft and her newborn kittens where Foxblaze and Poppyleaf sat side by side, purring at the newborn kitten; a daughter. They didn’t notice the grief in Patchbelly’s voice and nor did they notice Batstar walking in, to question Snowwhisker.

‘’Snowwhisker, it’s no secret that I love you.’’ The black tom sighed, feeling the pressure of many eyes on him. ‘’But I know that it’s your right to have a choice, so while I ask you to be my mate…’’ Batstar braced himself, curling his tail nervously. ‘’...you don’t have to be my mate.’’

Nervous and on edge, Snowwhisker glared at Batstar. ‘’I don’t want to be your mate.’’ She growled, shaking her head. ‘’I hate you!’’ Snowwhisker exclaimed, barging past Batstar and into the woods; she’d be gone on a long and peaceful walk. 

She wasn’t the only one; Pansyfang and Pinefur were walking through the woods, talking about their crushes and their friends. ‘’You’re going to have to tell Tinystep soon, Pine.’’ The calico murmured, watching the brown tom huffily kick a stick away. ‘’He loves you, and you love him as well so what’s the hold up?’’ Pansyfang quizzed, looking besmused. 

‘’It’s about the right time.’’ Pinefur explained, looking imploringly at Pansyfang. ‘’I don’t want to tell him that during sa time where we’re meant to be grieving or something like that.’’ The brown tom looked sheepish, shuffling along. ‘’Firepaw’s death really shook me up, the idea there’s a murderer out there…’’ Pinefur grimaced, shaking his head. ‘’...they might hurt Tinystep and I don’t want that to happen! I love Tinystep!’’ Pinefur continued. ‘’And I’d love to have a family with him and raise a kitten, and just...be happy.’’ 

Tinystep had watched them, as silent as a shadow. ‘’Pinefur!’’ He called out, taken aback by his declaration and bursting out from the thick of the foliage. ‘’I love you too, and thank you for telling me the truth.’’ The bengal smiled, ignoring Pansyfang’s ‘d’awws’. ‘’I’d love to have a family with you, Pinefur.’’ Tinystep nuzzled the handsome tom, twining his tail with his.


	18. The sudden stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it ends just like that.  
> If you want me to write more, lemme know.

Paleberry and Frecklestone had heard a kitten, and both were urgently searching for it. ‘’Frecklestone! Frecklestone, there it is!’’ The pale molly exclaimed, dashing through the snow to reach the tiny, fold-eared kitten. ‘’Look at it, it’s so weak.’’ Paleberry tried to get it warm, licking it’s fur comfortingly as it mewed piteously. 

 

‘’Poor thing.’’ Frecklestone sighed, recalling back when they’d found Cloverhop as a tiny, weeny kitten. ‘’How could anyone just leave their kittens?’’ The black and white molly shook her head, picking it up in her jaws. ‘’Come on, lets get it back to camp.’’ Frecklestone urged, marching back to the yawning caverns.

Acornfur and Campionstep were just waking up when they crashed into camp, a mewling bundle of cold, soggy kitten in their mouth. ‘’Oh? What’s that?’’ Campionstep inquired, getting up to investigate. ‘’Poor thing, did you guys see it’s mother anywhere?’’ Campionstep frowned, tail twitching. ‘’Or was it another case of abandonment, in which I relate to this poor guy.’’ 

Acornfur nosed at it, sitting beside Campionstep. ‘’Better find someone to look after it.’’ He looked at the nursery. ‘’Mallowtuft could, she’s got one kitten and enough milk for this poor grub.’’ Acornfur suggested, ears twitching. ‘’They remind me of an oak, dunno why.’’

Campionstep chuckled. ‘’Oakkit, that’s her name.’’ 

Tinystep, Pansyfang and Pinefur walked in, chattering like jays. ‘’What’s all this?’’ Pinefur murmured, a stony facade crossing over his face. ‘’A lost kitten? Have you found their mother, are they going to live?’’ The tabby nosed at the kitten, who then proceeded to sneeze loudly and startle Pinefur. ‘’What’s her name?’’

Paleberry placed the kitten at her paws, watching the pair thoughtfully. ‘’Oakkit, we need a parent for her.’’ Ears twitching, Paleberry glanced at Frecklestone who responded with a grunt. ‘’Pansyfang, are they mates?’’ The ginger molly had known for a long time they’d both crushed and fawned over one another, and if Pansyfang had anything to do with it, they were surely mates by now.

‘’Yup, just confessed.’’ Her eyes twinkled cheekily. ‘’And they want a family.’’

Suddenly a yowl interrupted their excited gossiping, and Reedfire crashed into camp with Batstar hanging from his jaws. ‘’Batstar is dead!’’ the russet tom exclaimed proudly, chest puffed with pride. ‘’And I am leader now!’’ There was no argument, but many pairs of staring eyes; anger, shock, fear, confusion. ‘’I tore his throat out and now Batstar’s tyranny is come to an end!’’ 

‘’Tyranny? What tyranny?’’ murmured Ryefur, turning to Gingerfang and Robinleap. ‘’Did you two hear of any tyranny?’’ The pale-brown tom squinted at Reedfire, ears twitching. ‘’Did I sleep through something? My bad, I’ve never been good at waking up on time.’’

A hollow chuckle filled the hollow caves. ‘’Ryefur’s right, Batstar wasn’t particularly tyrannical.’’ Robinleap pointed out. ‘’He let Paleberry keep her kittens and as far as I know, he’s been leading all investigations on Firepaw’s death.’’ The small brown and ginger molly frowned, screwing up her nose in scrutiny. ‘’I don’t think I ever saw you on one of those things.’’

 

Squirrelhop was the next to speak, nodding furiously. ‘’Batstar was always real nice!’’ The ginger tom beamed innocently, tail swaying in the air. ‘’Reedfire, what do you mean?’’ Squirrelhop asked, blinking slowly. ‘’What did Batstar do, that we didn’t notice?’’

Indignant, Reedfire bristled angrily and snarled at the ShrikeClan cats. ‘’Batstar harassed Snowwhisker, humiliated Paleberry and tore me of my rank!’’ The russet tom exclaimed, as though he were a prophet citing dark magic. ‘’How do you know he didn’t kill Firepaw?’’

Snowwhisker spoke up, Paleberry at her side. ‘’You don’t speak on my behalf!’’ The fluffy she-cat shouted, baring her fangs. ‘’Batstar gave me a choice and if anything, I was the one who hurt him.’’ Her eyes glittered. ‘’But Batstar never went after me, he simply told me how he felt, gave me a choice and left me alone when I said no.’’ 

‘’And I stepped down.’’ Paleberry piped up. ‘’He never told me to, and never humiliated me for that matter.’’ She looked around. ‘’I became a queen of my own accord, and let me tell you something…’’ Her eyes took on a venomous light, like a predator looking down on prey. ‘’Reedfire continued to ask me to be his mate, continued to talk me down and ‘attack’ me.’’ 

Horrified gasps filled the air and cats began to snarl, to hiss and swipe at Reedfire. ‘’Hypocrite!’’ cried Saltwhisker, ‘’Bully!’’ yelled Badgersnarl, ‘’Creep’’ Spat Frecklestone; all this was interrupted by one single yowl. ‘’Greypaw!’’ It was Mousefeather, marching into camp and glaring at the fluffy storm-pelted tom. ‘’Greypaw killed Firepaw, his scent was all over the place and on the snake.’’ 

‘’I...I can explain.’’ Greypaw grinned imploringly at Mousefeather, crouched for her and pleading for mercy. ‘’I only ever loved you, Firepaw would have never loved you, not properly.’’ Greypaw snivelled, sobbed like a worm. ‘’Mousefeather, please.’’

 

Scoffing in disgust, Mousefeather snarled. ‘’Greypaw, I’m gay.’’ her leaf-green eyes flashed, glancing at Robinleap. ‘’I’m interested in someone else, and Firepaw was my best friend; he may have loved me, but he only ever tried to be my friend first.’’ Mousefeather pinned Greypaw to the ground, joined by a heart-broken Mistbreeze. ‘’You’re despicable.’’ 

‘’So, Batstar isn’t the culprit.’’ Gingerfang remarked, glaring at Reedfire. ‘’Murders, murders in our clan!’’ The tabby exclaimed, swatting at the former deputy and apprentice. ‘’Leave! Leave, and never come back again!’’ 

Later that evening, Batstar awoke and was none-the-wiser. ‘’Where’s Reedfire?’’ The black tom inquired, padding up to Mallowtuft. ‘’He attacked me and I fear he’s going to attack someone else, anybody who disagrees with him.’’ Looking around, the tom was surprised not to see Reedfire. ‘’I thought he’d be here, proclaiming his leadership.’’

 

Blinking in astonishment, Mallowtuft stared at Batstar. ‘’Uh, we chased him and Greypaw out after we found out they were both murderers.’’ Turning to her friend, Mallowtuft gazed at him in awe. ‘’I thought you were dead?’’ She turned to the clan and yowled. ‘’Batstar is alive!’’

‘’It’s a long story, Mallowtuft.’’ Batstar sighed, reclining on the ground. ‘’I’m just glad you’re safe, that ShrikeClan is safe.’’

And there, their tale ends.


End file.
